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http://hdl.handle.net/2123/16797

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dc.contributor.author

Tu, Wenchao

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dc.date.accessioned

2017-06-01T23:22:43Z

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dc.date.available

2017-06-01T23:22:43Z

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dc.date.issued

2016-12-31

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dc.identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/2123/16797

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dc.description.abstract

This thesis reports on a study that examines Chinese universities’ self-introduction webpages in Chinese and English from a critical multimodal perspective. The study examines how the same genre provided by the same authorities is presented in the two different languages in response to the socio-cultural backgrounds, interests and goals of the two different audiences and sets of introductions.
A corpus of 40 university webpages produced by different types of universities in China was analysed. Taking research in intercultural rhetoric as its starting point, the project draws on a number of different yet complementary analytical frameworks to compare the webpages produced in the two languages. In particular, it employs genre analysis, appraisal analysis, critical discourse analysis, and critical multimodal analysis to explore the relationship between the use of linguistic resources, non-linguistic resources and the socio-cultural contexts of the two sets of texts. The textual analyses are supplemented by discourse-based interviews with the people who were responsible for producing the webpages at the universities in China. The study shows how the universities shift their communication style and framing to suit the values and expectations of their different target audiences.
The results of the study broaden the scope of comparative genre studies to include a context-sensitive, audience-oriented perspective, showing how contextual settings and expectations influence discourse practices at the textual, rhetorical and multimodal levels across the two sets of texts. The thesis closes by exploring implications of the research for improving sociocultural awareness of intercultural communication in translation, multi-semiotic language education, and media discourse studies across cultures.

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dc.publisher

University of Sydney

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dc.publisher

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

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dc.publisher

School of Education and Social Work

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dc.rights

The author retains copyright of this thesis. It may only be used for the purposes of research and study. It must not be used for any other purposes and may not be transmitted or shared with others without prior permission.

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dc.subject

multimodal discourse analysis

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dc.subject

critical discourse analysis

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dc.subject

appraisal analysis

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dc.subject

genre analysis

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dc.subject

intercultural rhetoric

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dc.subject

university webpages

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dc.title

How Universities Introduce Themselves on the Internet: A Critical Multimodal Comparative Genre Study

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dc.type

PhD Doctorate

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dc.date.valid

2017

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dc.type.pubtype

Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D.

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dc.description.disclaimer

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